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Why stop at 3? We should not put our eggs in 3 helos but rather 12, bring Chinese aviation industry in as well so we could have geopolitics arms deal with them, who cares about the cuck Logistics, spares etc.
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Our veterans seem more interested in criticising IDDM products than defending them or discussing the LCC and the logistical nightmare created by such a poorly structured order-splitting strategy. Why is there so little discussion of the operational and logistical costs of fragmenting orders instead of supporting indigenous manufacturing at scale?
I was waiting for the experts to fill editorial columns explaining the logistical nightmare of splitting a 400-helicopter requirement into 200 of one type, 120 of another and 80 of a third.
Especially when you already have an indigenous helicopter programme, developing even its engine domestically.
But apparently, commonality, economies of scale and indigenous ecosystem development are not worth discussing.
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I was waiting for the experts to fill editorial columns explaining the logistical nightmare of splitting a 400-helicopter requirement into 200 of one type, 120 of another and 80 of a third.
Especially when you already have an indigenous helicopter programme, developing even its engine domestically.
But apparently, commonality, economies of scale and indigenous ecosystem development are not worth discussing.
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One minister is giving Chinese manufacturers heartburn, and he is on the left. Another is giving Indian businesses heartburn, and he is on the right.
What a contrast in the Modi government! One is strengthening India’s electronics manufacturing ecosystem and challenging China’s dominance, while the other risks weakening India’s defence manufacturing base by favouring foreign OEMs over domestic industry.
One is building India’s manufacturing might; the other is undermining the very ecosystem needed to achieve defence self reliance. What a contradiction in policy priorities!
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Competency is considered a disability for our military acquisition programmes.
Genius-level strategic thinking: You have a requirement for 400+ helicopters, but split the orders 200 + 200
one for your own platform and the other for screwdrivering a foreign helicopter that is getting retired by even Pakistanis 😅
Why give your private industry ToT for the same platform and aggregate volumes when you can fragment demand, dilute economies of scale, and keep everyone happy except the cause of Atmanirbharta?
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Genius-level strategic thinking: You have a requirement for 400+ helicopters, but split the orders 200 + 200
one for your own platform and the other for screwdrivering a foreign helicopter that is getting retired by even Pakistanis 😅
Why give your private industry ToT for the same platform and aggregate volumes when you can fragment demand, dilute economies of scale, and keep everyone happy except the cause of Atmanirbharta?
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2 Shades Of Import Bahadur 💀🪛
Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh co-chaired a meeting with a delegation of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) led by Mr David McAllister in New Delhi on 27 October 2026.
Both sides underscored the importance of further strengthening the India–EU Strategic Partnership and reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation in security and defence. Both sides also discussed issues of regional peace and security and noted convergence on multiple issues.
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IAF & Army to order HAL LUH
- HAL has built 12, orders for another 187 in pipeline worth ₹20,000 cr
- Light helo reqmnt is for 400 total, remaining 50% will be from private industry as L1 L2
- Navy is also buying light maritime choppers for SAR & other ops
aninews.in/news/national/gen…
- So three types of light helicopters to replace two: Cheetah & Chetak. What a ridiculous idea, I'm surprised this is being reported a flex. Like are you _ing kidding me? Just buy 400 LUH wtah. I'm sorry, I can't think of a more civil way to convey what I'm feeling.
- Let private sector learn to make helicopters by selling to civilians & heck, even to the Navy esp if it's smaller model than UHM. Why do you have to steal from the IDDM pie for that?
- I'm flabbergasted, how did this insane idea get through the entire system & get approved.
- IDDM should come before private sector encouragement. The defence sector should not be used as a bargaining chip for any investment.
- HAL has a huge number of issues, but RWRDC isn't a slouch. If HAL alternative is the goal, get the private sector to make the LUH design. GoI owns HAL.
The Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) programme has entered a critical testing phase, HAL demonstrates autorotation landing capability at Maximum All-Up Weight (AUW)
- Finally some good PR from HAL
- If HAL monopoly in helicopters has to be removed, license production of LUH to a private player too. Let them invest money & make mods instead of 🪛 a foreign platform. That they can do for the civilian needs.
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"..fighter numbers alone don't determine military power balance."
- Absolutely right about this. But PLAAF has enough support assets to match their fighters & compensate for any Tibetan challenges inspired of their infra push.
- Meanwhile we seem to be content with the obsolete thought process of China's geographic constraints, MALE UAVs & fighter squadron count. We need way more support assets than currently planned. The urgency to acquire such assets seems lacking compared to attention given to fighter count, hope I'm wrong about that.
The reported proposal worth ~ $36 billion for 114 Rafale with just 30% IC even when "Made in India" & without source code would hands down be the worst decision in the history of military procurement, anywhere.
- It will convert a medium term existential issue into a significantly long term one & tie down the capex budget for years which will affect other programs no matter what excuses anyone wants to give.
- All concerned stakeholders have messed up over the years. The price will be paid one way or the other, panic buying will only worsen the picture.
- Will repeat: knee jerk reactions via hopium about stopgaps are not the way to solve the existential issue of squadron shortfall. And there are other existential issues as well which are conveniently (?) ignored by all.
Stop acting as if fighters are the only thing our air force needs. Stop acting as if we have the luxury to rely elsewhere. Stop putting the onus of fixing this properly on your successors.
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Post 3 on #Swavlamban2026.
At the @dpropulse stall. Young startup. Good results in quick time. Impressive progress on what is probably India’s first indigenous air-breathing Rotating Detonation Engine. They hot-fired a 5 kN class RDE (with aerospike) at DRDL earlier this year, reaching TRL-5. IIT Madras-incubated, led by @SJha1618 & Dr Ramanujachari (CTO, former DRDO, scramjet expert).
Compact, higher-efficiency propulsion with real potential for high-speed munitions and UAVs. Huge potential for collaboration with other startups and even DPSUs.
#AtmanirbharBharat
@indiannavy @SIDMIndia @sriramthg
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Day-1 taunt host nation on an Indian owned steel plant
Day-2 ask Indian origin ppl to come back to build in a broken system
Day-3 Market Indian labour as indentured labour in so many words. :)
If there’s an Olympics for insensitive gaffes…
Idhula JD Vance sonnadhukku aiyayoo vera ammama vera!!
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Article is paywalled, but offers some insight into what Dassault's intent regarding France's future fighter is (now that FCAS/SCAF/NGF is cancelled). In short, it's disappointing from an Indian PoV, considering we expressed interest in this.
I'll just share two small excerpts:
"Although few details of the ACF have so far been disclosed, Trappier says it “will be smaller than we expected with the NGF”.
"Power will likely come from a further evolution of the Safran Aircraft Engines M88, beyond the T-Rex variant currently in development for the F5-standard Rafale."
If this means France is giving up on creating a next-gen engine core, that's truly disappointing news. I guess the financial struggle is real given their other issues.
Right now it appears they're basically aiming for a Rafale-sized jet but with internal weapon bays, evolutionary advancements in tech & an upgraded M88++ core for the powerplant. This will certainly be less expensive to develop compared to a larger air superiority-focused jet with a 6th gen engine, but there will also be a SIGNIFICANT capability penalty when compared with likes of GCAP, F-47 or Chinese J-XDS especially in the A2A department and also in EW potential.
This may suit France's projected needs sufficiently given Russia's own struggles, but I don't see this being well suited for IAF's potential future requirements.
The GCAP might actually be more suitable as the future MKI replacement. Too bad they already got too many cooks in that kitchen (plus no naval variant planned). Things aren't looking good for any off-the-shelf 6th gen air superiority solution.
Oh and we may have a make a N-AMCA for the future carriers after all.
...UNLESS, a binding monetary commitment from India enables them to pursue a next-gen engine and a larger, more kinematically capable airframe. Not sure where the Safran-GTRE engine program stands with regard to this.
flightglobal.com/fixed-wing/…
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In domestic industry Kalyani has made entirely family of guns which haven't recieved any orders
SSSD has made every kind and every calibre of guns with most of orders coming from police instead of the Army
WHaP got no orders in India while it demolished the Chinese IFV to get orders from Morocco
Multiple munitions like Astra mk 2 Pralay Guided Pinaka SAAW Rudram VSHORADS are waiting for orders and people like you dare to accuse the industry
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Awesome!
Let's reward this IDDM product with orders of 200 helicopters built under Transfer of Technology (ToT). Oh and while we are it, let us split up those 200 into two L1 and L2!
Make Indian defense procurement make sense.
The Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) programme has entered a critical testing phase, reaffirming HAL’s rigorous approach to validating safety, reliability and performance across its indigenous helicopter programmes. @DefProdnIndia @SpokespersonMoD #LUH
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Dear @narendramodi
If & when the proposals for LMRH & 335 K9 Vajra SPH reaches CCS, please ask the MoD team these questions:
1) I inaugurated the HAL Tumakuru factory in 2023. If we have an IDDM product like the LUH, why are we going for licensed assembly? We have a 70% stake in HAL. Why can't we just license the LUH design to these private firms? Let them research, invest, let them make the changes they want, build & learn. Why must foreign OEMs be given orders like this? Why can't we make HAL handhold the private firms to build helicopters?
2) I had seen & enjoyed being on the K9 Vajra in 2019. We'd ordered them in 2017 and more in 2024. We still haven't developed an IDDM SPH? Why not? Can't we mandatorily start development of an equivalent IDDM system whenever a relatively small import or license assembly order is placed? That way the rest of the need can be met by aatmanirbharta? And why not do it now? Why order 335 now instead of earlier? Can we still give an IDDM SPH program a chance?
3) Tjis reminds me, I saw that Zorawar Light Tank in June 2026 at L&T too. Why are we buying only 59 of that, that too in two tranches? Rest is a separate competition for 295? Competition is needed but why would a firm like L&T conduct R&D if their R&D effort in ILT is not given adequate orders while their licensed production is given order after order? Would you do it if you were running L&T? So what part of me saying Aatmanirbhar Bharat in May 2020 have you not understood even after all these years?
(If you're not satisfied with the answers & feel we can do better:)
We must make some rational changes to our procurement process if we are to achieve aatmanirbharta. Make sure DAP 2026 is edited to accommodate such reforms and send a draft to my office in three months after consulting the services, startups & SIDM.
Thank you.
